New Delhi: Ladakh Member of Parliament Muhammad Haneefa Jan on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submitted a detailed memorandum raising what he described as urgent political, administrative and developmental concerns affecting the people of Ladakh.
During the meeting, the MP pressed for the immediate convening of the High Powered Committee to consider the demands raised by representatives of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, including full statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, and restoration of political rights.
Haneefa also raised concerns over the withdrawal of financial powers from the Ladakh administration, stating that routing approvals for works up to ₹100 crore to the Union Home Ministry would delay development and weaken decentralised governance in a region with a limited annual working season.
He sought reversal of the decision, saying that infrastructure and construction timelines in Ladakh are being severely affected due to climatic restrictions.
The MP also flagged the September 24 incident in Leh and described it as fallout of prolonged youth frustration caused by unemployment and pending constitutional demands. He sought compensation and employment support for families of those who died and urged withdrawal of cases registered in the aftermath. He also called for humanitarian consideration in cases related to civilians detained during protests.
Haneefa took exception to the University of Ladakh’s alleged recruitment process, stating it violates the Ladakh Reservation Ordinance 2025. He demanded immediate suspension of recruitment and strict enforcement of the prescribed reservation structure, which reserves 85 percent of posts for locals and 10 percent for economically weaker sections. He also sought formal declaration of the University as a full-fledged state university.
On infrastructure, he called for operationalisation of air services at Kargil airport using smaller aircraft and demanded a fresh feasibility study for a new Kargil airport to ensure winter connectivity. In the health sector, he sought upgrading of Kargil District Hospital from 75 to 200 beds and establishment of an AIIMS or PGI-level extension campus.
The MP also sought early notification and functioning of five newly announced districts and proposed two additional districts, Sankoo-Suru and Shakar Chiktan-Shargole. He raised concerns over repeated flash floods and cloudbursts and demanded a one-time relief package for desilting water bodies and construction of flood protection works. Losses in horticulture due to climate events were also flagged, with demand for compensation.
Additional demands included sanctioning of degree colleges at Sankoo and Turtuk, budget allocation for the proposed engineering college, operationalisation of the Traffic Police Headquarters in Kargil, raising a new border battalion, and revival of the pre-1999 BSF transit camp to ease unemployment.
The Home Minister assured the MP that the matters raised would be examined and taken up with concerned departments. [KNT]
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